Stay healthy during your Costa Rica surfing trip
We wrote some posts about health and travel issues in Central America, including Costa Rica: health risks and what medication to bring with you.
Today, we remind you about some basic rules how to stay healthy in a tropical environment like Costa Rica. Most of the information is common sense. Although Costa Rica has a higher living standard than its neighbours, it is a tropical country and you should consider this.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water to remove potentially infectious materials from your skin
- Drink only bottled or boiled water, or carbonated drinks in cans or bottles (e.g. a Coke). It is better to avoid tap water.
- Protect yourself from mosquito bites: wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, use insect repellents that contain DEET; if no screening for your room is available, use a pyrethroid-containing spray in living and sleeping areas
- If travelling into a malaria known region, take your malaria prevention medication as directed by your medical advisor.
- To prevent infections, keep feet clean and dry, and do not go barefoot, even on beaches.
- AIDS: always use latex condoms to reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
- Do not eat food that is not well cooked to reduce risk of infection.
- Do not drink beverages with ice.
- Do not swim in fresh water to avoid exposure to certain water-borne diseases such as schistosomiasis.
- Do not handle animals, especially monkeys, dogs, and cats, to avoid bites and serious diseases (including rabies and plague).
- Do not share needles for tattoos, body piercing or injections to prevent infections such as HIV and hepatitis B.
For a complete list of do’s and don’ts see Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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